I do not believe in entitling or anointing athletes. They must earn their way and pay their dues in all areas of their development. I do believe in athlete empowerment. The athlete needs to be a partner in the process, so that the process is meaningful and contributes to their growth as an athlete and a person. Coaching is not something you do to the athlete; it is something you do with the athlete. A good starting point for empowerment is to have the athlete do a complete self-assessment. The assessment needs to frank and honest and look at all aspects of their life. From this assessment they can then begin craft a personal mission statement. After that then they can begin to set goals.
Goal setting and ultimately goal achievement is not an easy process. It is not just writing words on paper and occasionally looking at them. They must make the goals actionionable, they must continually assess their progress toward goals. We must teach the athlete how to set realistic performance goals based on objective measures. We must challenge them. This challenge should not be public, but a contract between you and the athlete that sets the bar higher for them. Teach them to measure against themselves and set a high standard. Do this in a one on one meeting. Assess their strengths and weaknesses. Show them what they need to do and how they can get better. Sell them on assuming ownership of their careers and help guide them. Ultimately it is a process of the coach and athlete growing together.